
Reborn and Back for Revenge
Chapter 3
I didn't reply to Karen's questions. I merely passed her my backpack, sat at the dining table, and fixed my gaze on the food. "I'm hungry already, so let's eat."
Karen was dumbfounded. She then walked right up to me with a spatula in her hand. She asked, "Why the rush, Madison? I mean, Calvin hasn't even come back yet!"
She then rubbed her hands together and looked past me at Drew. "I thought you were supposed to pick up Calvin. How could you come back here without him? What kind of father are you? I even made his favorite Atherian lobsters today!"
I noticed Drew standing beside me. He was frantically signaling at Karen with his eyes.
I threw the bowl and cutlery to the ground. The crash echoed through the room. Karen, who had been pacing around, finally stopped and stared at me in shock.
"I said it's time to eat! Is everyone deaf here?"
It went quiet all of a sudden. Luna, who had been cleaning the stairs, Karen, who had been talking incessantly, and Drew, who had been frantically signaling Karen with his eyes, were all struck silent.
"Who do you think is the real head of this household? If you're unwilling to perform the part you're paid for, then feel free to pack your things and move out of here."
I used to be too nice to the household staff at home, which led them to take advantage of me when I was gravely ill in my past life. It was only after I had been reborn that I realized that there would always be people who would take advantage of you—no matter how kind you were to them.
It was only then that Karen slowly lifted the lids from each dish, revealing that half of the over a dozen dishes were seafood. I immediately lost my appetite. I then pulled at the tablecloth, flipping all the steaming dishes onto the floor with a loud crash.
"I don't like what you made today. I want you to make me something else."
Upon seeing the mess on the floor, Karen nervously tugged at her apron in confusion and said, "I spent the entire afternoon cooking these dishes, Ms. Smith. If you don't want to eat them, I'm sure Calvin does! How can you behave so unreasonably?"
Karen was so distressed that she almost sank to the floor.
I had been allergic to seafood since I was a child, so it was never part of our meals. Karen had always kept this in mind and never cooked seafood. Yet, as Dad got busier with work and Callum went abroad for school, I was often left alone at home.
It was around this time that Karen started paying less attention to me, and Calvin started visiting our home regularly. It wasn't long before seafood dishes started appearing on the dining table, and they began testing my willingness to comply.
Moreover, Karen insisted that she was merely doing this for my own good by suggesting I gradually change my eating habits. Yet, despite knowing that I wouldn't take a single bite of it, seafood dishes continued to appear increasingly often on the dining table.
I tapped the dining table lightly with my cutlery to get everyone's attention. I then announced, "You're not needed here starting tomorrow, Ms. White. I'll be reviewing the household accounts, and any unaccounted spending will be directly deducted from your salary.
"And from now on, everyone will sit at separate tables during meals and stick to their jobs. If anyone were to step out of line, they'll face the same consequences."
Upon hearing that, Karen tugged at her apron while looking quite aggrieved. Yet, despite that, she didn't dare to utter a single word and quickly cleaned up the mess on the floor.
I glanced at the clock before heading upstairs to my room. Dad had gone out of his way to secure the best and most expensive private tutor available, and today was her scheduled visit for my lesson.
In my past life, Calvin had just transferred from a rural high school and was struggling academically, ranking at the bottom of the class. I paid the private tutor extra to tutor both of us, and it worked exceptionally well. Calvin's grades improved significantly, and he even became one of the top students in his class.
In the end, Calvin returned home with Dad, and with them was Holly Larson, a student my father had been supporting financially.
Holly and Calvin shared the same hometown. In my past life, when I was bullied and ostracized for writing love letters to Calvin, Holly was the only one who believed in my innocence. In those dark and lonely days, I regarded her as my closest friend. I offered her all my trust and affection.